The Monster Within
by CrueFan21
Summary: By all accounts, Queen Elsa of Arendelle was considered to be a kind, generous, and fair ruler. Her subjects adored her, giving her the praise that Elsa never thought she would receive in her lifetime. But with one careless act, that all changes, forcing the people of Arendelle, and Elsa to wonder: is she really a monster?
1. Chapter 1

The Monster Within

 **A/N: This will be a much darker Frozen fic. It won't be as long as well. I estimate ten chapters at the most. Enjoy!**

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In the past few months, the kingdom of Arendelle had been plagued by a series of unexplained rapes. The victims, young women, typically were attacked at night, while out on the streets. The news of such crimes came as a shock to Elsa. As queen of Arendelle she vowed to do whatever it took to catch the rapist, and bring him to justice. Her guards interrogated each of the victims to collect as much information they could on the rapist, only to discover that the assailant was wearing a mask during each attack. They gave them a detailed description of what the man looked like. Despite this, and even after a thorough search of the entire kingdom, they couldn't find a trace of the rapist. It was as if he vanished as soon as he committed one of his crimes. Then, shortly after a young woman was raped, the guards found a man wandering the streets dazed and confused. When they started talking to him, he didn't respond, which rose suspicion. The guards quickly arrested the man, and brought him back for questioning. Elsa was relieved to hear that a suspect had been brought in. She was eager to hear what the man had to say. After several hours of questioning by the head of the guards, she was disappointed to learn that the suspect had barely said anything. All they learned was his name, and that he was married with children. Elsa decided to take it upon herself to question the man. Maybe if she approached him on a different level, he might open up to her. As the next few hours went on, Anna and Kristoff sat in the parlor, anxiously awaiting for Elsa to return from her interrogation with any news.

"Do you think he's the one?" Anna asked.

"I'm not sure. From what one of the guards told me, he sounds guilty as hell, but we don't know for sure," Kristoff answered. "Well, if anyone can get anything out of him, it's Elsa. I have a feeling that she'll be able to tell if he's truly guilty or not," Anna said. Anna had much confidence in her sister. She believed that Elsa was a kind, benevolent, and fair ruler, one who would do anything for her kingdom. If this man was truly the rapist, she could be the one to get him to confess. Elsa had a certain way with people, that not many had.

Another hour went on, and still there was no word from Elsa. When Anna went to talk with one of the guards to see if there had been any progress, he told her that he hadn't heard anything out of the dungeons in over three hours. Anna suggested that they go down to the dungeons to check on Elsa, to see if she needed anything.

The guards, along with Anna and Kristoff, went down to the dungeons where Elsa was interrogating the suspect. When they entered, they came upon a gruesome sight.

There lying in the middle of the dungeion floor, was the suspect with a large icicle jammed in his chest. Blood poured out of his wound onto the floor, surrounding his body. Their attention to the body was distracted by the sound of crying. When they looked up, they saw Elsa huddled in a corner, crying profusely. Tears drenched her face as she stared in horror at the body.

"Oh, God, Oh, God, what have I done?" she cried.

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 **A/N: As you can see, this will be a much darker Frozen tale. I kind of consider this to be a bit of an AU, but still set in the mid 19** **th** **century. The next chapters will be a series of flashbacks leading up to the event, showing why Elsa killed this man. This story will be a deep look into the psyche of Elsa.**


	2. The Rapist

Chapter 2:

The Rapist

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It had been a rather uneventful week in Arendelle. Queen Elsa had her meetings, and paperwork to fill out, but there was nothing to stress her out. She was thankful for that. Sometimes being queen could really take a lot out of her, especially if she had to deal with domestic affairs. As Elsa wrote her speech that she was going to give to the kingdom later today, Kai suddenly burst into her study, looking frantic with worry.

"Queen Elsa, please forgive my intrusion, but there is a woman here, who says she was just raped!"

Elsa's eyes widened, showing her concern. "Oh, my goodness. Bring her in, quickly!"

Kai left to retrieve the young woman, who came into Elsa's office with tattered clothes. There were bruises on her face, and her fingernails were broken. Elsa directed her over to a chair, where she ordered Kai to fetch her a glass of water and a blanket. The woman was still shivering was fear. It was as if her ordeal hadn't ended.

Elsa gave her a minute to compose herself, before she started asking questions. When the woman finishing drinking the glass of water, she turned towards Elsa, meeting her eye to eye.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" Elsa asked.

"I didn't see his face, because he had a mask on. I was walking down an alleyway to take a shortcut to my house, when this man jumped on me. He threw me to the ground, and started punching me in the face. I tried to claw back at him as much as I could, but he was just too strong for me. He told me to shut up and just let come naturally. I wasn't going to let him violate me, so I started screaming. When I screamed, he placed a hand over my mouth with one hand, and held a knife to my throat with the other. He said if I uttered a single sound, he would slit my throat.

I was so scared, but I did what he said. He then started to rip my dress off like some wild animal. He then thrusted himself inside of me, very violently. All the while, he kept the knife near my throat. I could feel the blade graze across my skin. I knew there was no way he was going to let me live after he was done with me. When he finished, he stood up, and told me to go home. That was all he said, before he ran off in the other direction."

"How long did he rape you?" Elsa asked.

The woman began to cry again. The memory was so painful. "Twenty minutes, but it felt longer than that. I can still feel him inside of me. I can still see the blade of his knife at my throat. Queen Elsa, you have to catch him, before he does this to another woman!"

"I will! We will find him, and bring him to justice. Nobody is going to get away with such a horrific act as this," Elsa assured. "It's going to be OK now. You can rest up in one of the guest bedrooms. I'll see to it that the guards search the town for this man. Do you remember what he looked like?

The woman shook her head. "Not much. He was wearing a mask, so I couldn't see his face, but he was wearing a red cloak if that helps. He was also very tall, and muscular. I know it's not much to go on," the woman said.

"That's alright. It's something, and that's better than nothing. Kai, take this young woman to one of our guest rooms for the evening. Afterwards, contact her family to let them know where she is. In the meantime, I'll send out a party to go combing the streets to find this man."

Elsa told the captain of the guards to send out ten of his best men into the streets. They were to interview anyone who might have seen something suspicious that day. Hopefully, the rapist would be found before he struck again.

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Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Within the next few days, there were three more brutal rapes within the kingdom. Each one just as horrific as the last. The victims were much like the first woman; they were young, vulnerable, and alone at the time of the attack. In the last rape, the rapist was even more savage in that he bit down on the woman's breasts, leaving deep teeth marks. The bite marks were examined by a doctor, but all that he could gather from them was that it was which exact teeth left the marks. Dentistry wasn't advanced enough to tell them anything more.

As a ruler, these crimes deeply disturbed Elsa. She loved her people with all her heart, and to see them being hurt like this, was too much to bear. As a woman, the crimes disturbed her on a personal level. The concept of a man forcing himself onto a woman without her consent was the ultimate violation. It violated her body, her psyche, and spirit. She felt for these women as if she herself had been raped.

When another woman was raped, Elsa set a curfew instructing everyone to be in their homes by a certain time of day. The guards would go around the village to ensure that no one was out on the streets. She hoped that this would put a stop to such despicable crimes, but there was still the matter of catching the rapist. He had already brutally raped five women, he had to be a brought to justice!

She interviewed all the women who had been raped again, checking to see if there was anything else they remembered, but there wasn't much success in this.

Meanwhile, Anna did her best to comfort her sister during the whole ordeal. She too wanted to see the rapist brought to justice, but assured Elsa that they were doing the best that they could. This did little to help quell Elsa's worries. Within the next week, another woman was raped, while returning from a trip to a nearby village. This time, the rapist had taken a piece of her dress with him as some sick trophy. With this latest rape, Elsa's worries were at an all-time high. The curfew that she instilled wasn't helping. The criminal was still raping women, which led her to believe that he wasn't from Arendelle. If he was from another village, it had to be close, because most of the rapes had occurred within the kingdom. Elsa ordered the guards to visit nearby villages, interrogating the villagers for any possible new information. These rapes had consumed Elsa's thoughts and feelings. As long as the rapist was still out there, there wasn't a day that went by when she didn't think about it. If she had to do it herself, she vowed to find the animal responsible for such heinous acts, and punish him to within an inch of his life.

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 **A/N: The story is going to jump between the past and present, just to let you all know. When you read the next chapter, it'll pick up where the first one left off, so don't get confused when you read it. Also, please leave a review and let me know how the story is so far. I'd appreciate the feedback.**


	3. The Aftermath

Chapter 3:

The Aftermath

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As Anna, Kristoff, and two of the guards looked at the bloody corpse on the floor of the dungeon, Elsa trembled in horror. The regal, calm demeanor that she usually possessed was gone, replaced by one of fear. The same kind of fear that dominated her life for so many years. It consumed her like a poison, coursing through her veins, slowly killing off any blood cells within.

"Oh, God, what have I done?" she cried. Elsa fell to her knees, sobbing heavily. Anna slowly approached her, hoping to comfort her sister.

"Elsa, Elsa, what happened?" she asked.

"Elsa continued to cry, unable to lift her head off the ground. Meanwhile, the guards removed the man's body from the dungeon with the icicle still lodged in his chest. There was a lot of blood on the floor, a sight that horrified Elsa. Anna suggested that they go upstairs, but Elsa could barely move.

""Elsa, it's going to be alright, just come with us."

"No, no, no. Don't you see, Anna? I've killed a man. I'm a monster."

"you're not a monster, Elsa. Let's go upstairs, and you can tell me what happened."

Elsa allowed Anna to help her to her feet. Kristoff led the way out of the dungeon, upstairs to Elsa's bedroom. When they were inside, Anna asked Kristoff to give the two of them some privacy.

Elsa stared at the floor in a state of shock. How could this have happened? She had control over her powers, she always used them wisely, but why had she chosen to do something unthinkable. The tears continued to pour as Anna wrapped a blanket around Elsa. She sat down beside her sister, trying to ease some information out of her.

"Elsa, it's going to be OK. What's important right now is that you tell me exactly what happened," Anna said. "I'm here to help you, but I can't do that you if you don't tell me."

Elsa sobbed. She wiped some of the tears out of her eyes, which were quickly replaced by new ones.

"I… don't know what came over me," she sobbed. "One minute I was asking him questions, the next I was beating him senseless with ice. It was like something inside of me just snapped."

"Did he say something to make you so ma?"

"Yes, he said plenty of awful things. Every word he said, only boiled my blood more."

"So he is the rapist?" Anna asked.

That question caused Elsa to cry even harder. "I don't know. I think so, but he never confessed to it. He could be innocent!"

Anna could see why Elsa was so upset. It was bad enough that she killed a man, let alone a man who could have been innocent.

"What did he say to you to make you lose it?" Anna asked.

"I…don't know where to begin. Please, Anna, just leave me alone. I need time to be alone."

"No, Elsa. I'm not leaving you alone. We're sisters, and we're going to face this together. Tell me what he said. What's his name?"

"Fredrick Hawthorne," Elsa revealed.

"Ok. What did Fredrick say to you?"

"Anna, I can't. It's painful enough as it is without talking about it."

"Elsa! I'm trying to help you!" Anna cried. "Let me help you! please! Don't shut me out again.

Elsa took a deep breath and sighed. "He didn't say much at first. I asked him to tell me a bit about himself. He was reluctant to do even that. When I started questioning about why he was wandering out so late after the curfew, he wouldn't talk. He insisted that he had nothing to do with the women being raped, but I could tell that there was something he wasn't telling me. I continued to ask questions, but every time I did, he just…mocked me. He said that I had no evidence against him, so there was no reason for him to be there."

As Elsa continued to speak, there was a knock on the door. "We're in the middle of something," Anna cried out.

"It's me, ma'am. I have something urgent to tell you." It was Kai.

Anna went to open the door. Kai stood with his hands together, looking very distraught. He slowly walked into the bedroom, and up to Elsa.

"Your Majesty, Fredrick Hawthorne has died," he said.

Elsa stared at Kai in shock. She didn't move, she didn't utter a word. Her worst fears had come true. She had killed a man; Anna's eyes began to water with tears. She rushed beside Elsa, pulling her into her arms. Elsa still didn't say or do anything, but the blank stare on her face told both Anna and Kai, everything they needed to know.

"We'll have to inform Mr. Hawthorne's family, Queen Elsa," Kai said.

Elsa didn't respond, instead more tears fell from her eyes. There could be no doubt about it now. All those years that she believed she was a threat to society were true. The one thing she never wanted to happen, did. Not even the love of her sister could completely control the storm inside of her. Because of her powers, she had killed a man. The Queen of Arendelle had committed the ultimate sin.

"I am a monster," Elsa whispered.

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 **A/N: The darkness is rising. There will be a chapter where you'll see Elsa's entire interrogation with Fredrick, so don't worry. You'll see what exactly made her snap. Hope you're still enjoying it so far!**


	4. The Suspect

Chapter 4:

The Suspect

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Over a month passed, and they were still no closer to catching the rapist. Elsa had every woman interviewed several times, trying to get any additional information that they might have overlooked. When the rapist struck again, this time it was during the day, long before the curfew started. This time however, the woman said the man talked to her a lot, while he was raping her. She said that he told her that he lived a boring life, and that this was the only way he got his thrills. Now armed with a motive for these terrible attacks, Elsa had men throughout the kingdom, brought in for questioning. Over a hundred men were questioned, but all of them had alibis for the night of each attack. It would seem as if the case would never be solved.

One evening, after the curfew started, two of the palace guards were walking the streets when they noticed a man out and about. Knowing that it was required for everyone in the village to be in their homes, the guards called out to the man.

"Hey you! What are you doing out this late? Don't you know there's a curfew?" one of the guards asked.

The man didn't reply, but instead kept walking. This arose suspicion in the two guards who walked up to the man to question him some more.

"Sir, didn't you hear me? What are you doing out this late?"

The man still didn't reply. It was as if he was in a drunken state, wobbling as he walked down the street. The man's lack of response was alarming enough for the palace guards. They suspected that he might be Arendelle Rapist. They placed him under arrest, and brought him back to the palace for questioning.

By the time they returned, Elsa was already asleep in her chambers, when she was awoken by Kai.

"Queen Elsa, I'm very sorry to disturb your slumber, but the guards have arrested a man, who might be the Arendelle Rapist?"

Normally Elsa would be annoyed at being woken up in the middle of the night, but upon hearing why the guards arrested the man, she instantly jumped into action.

"Where is he?" Take me to him!" she ordered to Kai.

Kai took Elsa down to the dungeons, where the two guards who had arrested the man, were questioning him. Upon entering the main chamber, she saw a middle-aged man with black hair, and a mustache, sitting on the bench in one of the cells. On the other end of the bench, one of the guards, Samuel, was asking him questions.

"Mr. Hawthorne, can you please explain what you were doing out so late at night, even though a curfew has been issued by Her Majesty?"

Mr. Hawthorne kept his head hung low, refusing to answer the question. When Samuel turned towards Elsa, he shook his head, sadly. Samuel, Elsa, and Kai, walked out of the cell, leaving Mr. Hawthorne alone with another guard.

"We've been questioning him for over an hour, and so far the only thing he's told us is his name, and his family. He's a stubborn man alright."

"Did you ask him about the rapes?" Elsa inquired.

"Yes, Your Majesty, but he denies any inovlement. However, he refuses to answer any other questions I have about the crimes."

"I see. Gentlemen, ask him if he would like anything to drink. I'm going to be in my study. Let me know if he says anything else."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the guards said at once.

Elsa went up to her study. A quick glance at the grandfather clock told her that it was 2:00 AM. As much as she wanted to sleep, she knew that she also had to be on alert. This man might be the culprit. Hopefully, his iron will would lesson in time.

As Elsa read over the crime reports of the previous rapes, a knock came at her door.

"Come in," she said. Elsa assumed it was Kai or one of the guards with information about the suspect for her.

Instead, she was surprised to see that it was Anna.

"Anna, what are you doing up so late?"

"I heard all the commotion, and I went to see what was going on. Kai told me that the guards had arrested someone. Is it true?"

"Yes, we believe he might be the Arendelle rapist," Elsa explained.

Anna's eyes widened. "Oh, my, has he said anything yet?"

"Not much. He's just told us his name, and a little bit about his family. From what the guards tell me, he's being stubborn. We haven't been able to get any more information out of him yet."

"What about if you talked to him, Elsa?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you ask him the questions instead of the palace guards? Who knows, you might be the one to get something out of him," Anna suggested.

"Hmmm. I don't know if he'll say anything to me, but I guess it's worth a shot. Alright, I'll go down to the dungeons, and see if I can pry anything out of him."

Elsa quickly conjured up one of her ice dresses, and braided her hair, to look presentable for the suspect. Before heading to the dungeons, she got a glass of water from the kitchen. She figured that the suspect was very thirsty.

When she reentered the cell, she told the guards that they could step away for the time being. Kai was hesitant to leave Elsa alone with the suspect, but he knew that she could handle herself. After Kai and the guards were gone, Elsa sat down beside the suspect, and gave him the glass of water.

"I thought you might be thirsty," she said.

The suspect, who looked terrified, slowly picked up the glass, and brought it to his mouth. Elsa watched as he shook violently, while drinking.

"Do you know who I am?" Elsa asked.

The man nodded.

"Good. What's your name?"

"Fredrick Hawthorne," the man whispered.

"Ok, Fredrick I'm going to ask you some questions, alright?"

"I already told them, I don't know anything."

"I'm just going to ask you a few questions," Elsa repeated.

"Why…why won't you people listen?" Fredrick pleaded.

"Henry, we're just trying to figure things out. If you cooperate with me, you can go home. Alright?"

"I don't know anything!" Fredrick shouted.

Elsa took a deep breath. She could tell that this was going to be a long night.

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 **A/N: If Elsa was so peaceful during the beginning of her interrogation with Henry, what made her snap? The answer will come soon. Everybody, including Elsa, has a breaking point.**

s


	5. The Truth

Chapter 5:

The Truth

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With Queen Elsa in no state of mind to inform the family of Fredrick Hawthorne what had happened, the guards took it upon themselves to perform the task. The family were outraged. They demanded that Queen Elsa be hung for her crimes, due to there being no evidence that Fredrick had raped any of the women. As such, his death was seen as an act of cold-blooded murder. It wasn't long before the news spread throughout the kingdom. The image that the people once had of Elsa as a kind, generous, and forgiving ruler, was replaced by one of a vicious, sadistic, tyrant. The news of Elsa's crime soon spread to other kingdoms as well, most notably to Weselton, in which the Duke of Weselton further proclaimed his that his accusations against Queen Elsa were right all along. Despite such outrage from the kingdom and beyond, Elsa didn't dare face up to what she had done. In the following weeks since she killed Fredrick, Elsa stayed locked in her bedroom, returning to the world of isolation that she knew for so many years. Not even Anna could awaken Elsa from her guilty slumber. For the next several weeks, the Princess of Arendelle, spent her time with Kristoff and his family of trolls. Grand Pabbie himself, could not offer much advice for the situation at hand.

"Elsa needs to confront what she's done. Only then, can she begin the healing process. But even then, I don't know if she'll ever recover. In her mind, she's become the monster, she feared she'd become," he said.

One afternoon, on a cold, rainy day, Kai brought a tea set up to Elsa's room. It was something he always did. In fact, he was the only one to see Elsa since the incident with Frederick Hawthorne.

As he entered the room, he noticed that temperature was vastly different from the rest of the castle. The inside of Elsa's room was cold as ice. On the ceilings, icicles hung, dripping water onto the floor. There was a thin coat of ice covering the floors, and walls. In the corner, Elsa sat burying herself in a mound of snow of her own creation.

Kai sat the tea set down on the dresser, before turning to face her.

"I have brought you some tea, Elsa," he said. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No. Just leave, Kai," Elsa whispered.

Kai didn't want to leave his queen in this state. He had looked after her since she was a baby. She was like a daughter to him. He took a chair from the other side of the room, and sat down, facing Elsa.

"Elsa, it's time that we talked about what happened weeks ago. Tell me what happened, Elsa."

"You know what happened," Elsa said, despondently.

"I want you to tell me," Kai said, gently.

Elsa turned towards Kai, keeping her head hung low, however.

"There's nothing to tell, Kai. I killed a man."

"I understand that. What did you hope to achieve in talking to Fredrick Hawthorne?"

Elsa didn't respond.

"Elsa, I can't help you if you don't help yourself. Please, just talk to me!" Kai pleaded.

Elsa sighed. "I wanted to get a confession out of him. I knew that he was the rapist. I just knew it. The way he looked, the way he refused to talk, everything about him screamed that he was guilty."

"You don't know that, Elsa," Kai informed. "Fredrick may have been entirely innocent. There was no solid evidence against him after all."

"Kai, he had mud on his clothes…his jacket was torn. He had to have been the one!" Elsa cried.

"You don't know that," Kai pressed.

"You weren't' there, you didn't see him," Elsa said, clenching her teeth together.

"Elsa, the truth of the matter is, the rapist could have been anybody. It could have been someone from Arendelle or someone from a nearby kingdom. The fact that Fredrick Hawthorne refused to talk, and that he looked the type, doesn't point to guilt. Is that what led you to attack him?"

Elsa couldn't tell Kai exactly what Fredrick said that provoked her into attacking him. She trusted Kai, loved him with all her heart, but no matter what she said, it didn't matter. Nothing would change what she had done. She had killed a man.

"I'm trying to be fair with you, Elsa," Kai said. "But you're not being fair with me. I want to help you. Your sister wants to help you. We all want to help you. This is a very tragic situation that you're in. The people of Arendelle want you removed from the throne. Some of them even want you executed."

This news didn't surprise Elsa. In all honesty, a part of her wanted her to die.

"I'll be honest, Elsa. What you did makes me sick. I don't condone it in the slightest; innocent man or not, but I still don't want to see you removed from the throne or executed. What I do know that something in you caused you to snap. What was it about Fredrick Hawthorne that made you kill him? I've seen you deal with many criminals during your reign, and never once did you resort to such brutal violence before. What makes Fredrick Hawthorne so different?"

Elsa lifted her head to face Kai. By now, tears were falling from her eyes. She stood up and walked towards the man she knew since she was a child.

"You think it's that simple? You think I can just talk about what happened, and all my problems will go away? It's that easy to you? You're a foolish man! You weren't the one who beat him with ice and snow till he bled, you didn't ram an icicle into his heart, and watch the life leave his eyes! You're just a fat, stupid man, whose only purpose is to serve me. You know nothing about how I feel! My whole life has been a living hell! Now I've become what everyone feared all along! A raging, lunatic monster! Is that what you wanted all along too, Kai! Did you want to see the precious little girl you looked after become such a vile creature? Is that what you wanted? Is it? ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!" Elsa screamed, grabbing Kai by the arms, causing a sliver of ice to creep up them.

Not knowing what else to do, Kai forced Elsa's hands off him, causing the ice to quickly melt.

He could see that there was no getting through to Elsa. Whatever damage had been done during her interrogation with Fredrick Hawthorne was permanent. He doubted if he'd ever see the bright, happy queen again.

He sighed, giving Elsa a bow, before leaving the room. After he left, Elsa collapsed onto the floor, crying profusely. As if expected, she began to relive what happened in the dungeons between her and Fredrick Hawthorne weeks ago. The night that she became what the Duke of Weselton always said she was: a monster.

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter will reveal the full conversation between Frederick and Elsa, revealing what drove her to kill him. As I mentioned before, this is a dark story, and Elsa will be OOC for it. I hope you're still enjoying it nonetheless.**


	6. The Breaking Point

Chapter 6:

The Breaking Point

* * *

As Elsa sat beside Fredrick Hawthorne, she could see the fear in his eyes. He knew that he was in trouble. He knew that they were on to him. Something in Elsa made her feel that Fredrick was the man they were looking for, but she had to be sure. Hopefully, she could pry some information out of him.

"You don't have to talk to me, Fredrick. You don't have to talk to anyone. But I strongly believe that it would help. Don't you?"

"I've got nothing to say," Fredrick said.

"Ok. Let's talk about something else for a minute. You're married, right?"

Fredrick nodded.

"Children?"

Fredrick nodded again.

"You must love your wife and children very much, right?"

"I do. They are my world."

"I can believe that. Now what do you think your family would think of all this? These brutal rapes I mean."

"We haven't discussed it much. I don't know really."

"Hmm. You see Fredrick, I can't help but think that you know something about these crimes and aren't telling me. You must admit it does look awfully suspicious with you walking around in the middle of the night, past curfew, and refusing to cooperate with me or my guards. I'm no expert on criminals, but that is the sort of behavior that they are known for."

Fredrick continued to stare into space. He didn't dare meet Elsa's gaze. Elsa was growing impatient with this man, but she knew that she had to keep her composure. She sat up and walked in front of him.

"Fredrick, may I ask you a personal question?" she asked.

Fredrick didn't respond.

"How is your relationship with your wife?"

"What are you getting at?" Fredrick spat, suddenly and unexpectedly.

"Is your marriage healthy? Or is it problematic?"

"There's nothing wrong with my marriage, and I would kindly ask you not to bother me with questions about it."

Elsa crossed her arms, looking surprised. "That's a pretty bold thing to say to the Queen of Arendelle, Fredrick. Most of my subjects would never dream of raising their voice to me, let alone tell me to leave them alone. Your outburst tells me something, Fredrick. Do you know what that is?"

Fredrick stared at Elsa, not bothering to respond to her question.

"It tells me that your relationship with your wife isn't a positive one. It might have been at one time, but the spark that ignited your marriage seems to have faded. She no longer...pleases you."

"When your wife no longer pleases you, you start to notice other women in Arendelle. Beautiful women, who are much younger than your wife. Slowly the desires inside you begin to build, and you start to wonder things like: what would these women look like with their clothes off, what would it be like to be inside them? Questions like these keep nagging at your mind, until finally, you decide to find out for yourself. But having sex with one woman isn't enough. No. There are far too many beautiful women out there for you to fondle. So, you go for another one, and another, and another, until the satisfaction is so great, you find yourself addicted. Am I getting at something, Fredrick?

Fredrick smiled. "You're a real piece of work, sweetheart."

The comment caused Elsa's anger to boil up. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a hunk of ice at Fredrick's head, knocking him to the floor.

The impact was so great, it knocked the wind out of him, but he was still conscious. Elsa walked over to him, picking him up by the collar of his shirt.

"Let me explain something to you: I am the Queen of Arendelle. As such, you will treat me with the respect and dignity that I deserve. Do you understand?"

Blood started to pour from Fredrick's mouth. He still had that glam in his eye, which Elsa thought was a sign of contempt. Fredrick smiled back at her.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said with a giggle. "I will pay you the respect you deserve. Even if you are stark raving mad."

The comment caused Elsa to grit her teeth in anger. She froze Fredrick's hands in a hunk of ice, causing the man to scream in agony.

"Mad? I'm not the one whose mad, Fredrick. I'm not the one going around raping women for my own damn pleasure. That's you. One way or another, you will talk. I'll read you like an open book. I'll memorize every page. When I'm through with you, everyone will know the story of Fredrick Hawthorne. What do you think will happen then, huh? How do you think your wife and kids will react? How do you think they would feel, knowing that the man they love so much is a filthy pig who violates women?"

"Don't touch me!" Fredrick yelled, backing away from Elsa.

Elsa looked at him with curiosity. His reaction to her touching him was interesting.

"What's the matter, you don't like to be touched, Fredrick? "Well, how do you think all those women felt, when you were touching them? Do you think they liked it?"

"I want to speak to my solicitor!" Fredrick cried.

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen. You see, I'm the one in charge here. You don't get to speak to your solicitor until I say so."

"Please! My hands are freezing!" Fredrick cried.

"I bet they are. My powers are quite strong, Fredrick. You'll find that they're not to be taken lightly. Now I'll unfreeze your hands, if you promise to cooperate."

"Yes, please, just unfreeze them."

"Very well."

With a flick of her wrist, Elsa unfroze Fredrick's hands. The man frantically started blowing on them to warm them up again. At the moment, he had no feeling in his fingers, and he feared that they might fall off.

"Now, remember your promise?" Elsa reminded him.

Fredrick started to chuckle, much to Elsa's fury.

"You think you're such a good person, don't you?" Sweetheart, you have no idea."

"Watch what you say, Fredrick. I'm not one to be tempted," Elsa warned.

"Oh, I know. I've heard all about your powers, Queen Elsa. I know how you plunged Arendelle into an Eternal Winter. I know how you almost killed your little sister, Anna. You may think I'm a monster, Elsa, but you're no different from me.

Elsa wasn't going to let this man taunt her with the same fear that she was consumed by for thirteen years. She intended to put a stop to it.

"That's enough!" she cried, causing icicles to pop out of the floor.

"And you know what else?" Fredrick teased. "I know…that deep down, you enjoy using your powers to take advantage of others. I can see it in your eyes."

Fredrick's words cut straight to Elsa's heart. She knew what he was talking about. When the Duke of Weselton's men tried to kill her at her ice palace, she naturally defended herself with her powers. But in her rage, she almost killed them. In the heat of the moment, Elsa couldn't deny, it felt good. She was teaching these men a lesson: don't mess with her or death will follow. It's no secret that she could use her powers to take over the world if she wanted too, but that wasn't her, she was a good person, who loved her sister and her people. The mere thought of harming anyone with her powers was devastating. Even though years had passed, the memory of how she almost killed Anna was still fresh in her mind. What if Fredrick was right? What if despite all her good deeds, she really was a monster inside. After all, she was the only person who had magical abilities like this. No other human being had such powers. Was she even considered a human being, even with her abilities?

Fredrick could see that Elsa was taken aback by his words. He calmly walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You see, Elsa, you could have more than you do now. The thought has crossed your mind many times before. With powers like yours, you could easily take out everyone in sight. You could rule the world if you wanted too. These thoughts prove that you're not as holy as you like to believe."

"I'll kill you," Elsa whispered.

"Oh, wouldn't that be a good start. Your first murder. I think it's quite understandable that it should be a law-abiding citizen of Arendelle. After all, it shows the inner brutality within."

"Shut up," Elsa whispered.

"It'll be interesting to see how the people who love you will react, especially Princess Anna. She loves you so much, you know? I imagine that she'll be devastated. But then again, you shouldn't care. You could rule the world, what do you need Anna for? Why, I think she would make a good target practice for you."

"Shut up!" Elsa screamed.

Before she could think twice, Elsa conjured a large icicle, and jammed it rapidly into Fredrick's chest, causing the man to scream in agony. Elsa stabbed him several times with it, before finally leaving the icicles lodged in his chest. She watched with pleasure as he fell to the floor, the blood pouring from his open wound.

With the man lying dead at her feet, Elsa's mind suddenly changed, and she saw the horror of what she had done.

"Oh, God, Oh God!" she cried. Elsa walked over to a corner, and knelt in a feetle position, crying profusely.

Just then, the door to the cell opened, and Anna, Kristoff, and two of the guards walked in.

"Oh, God, Oh God, what have I done?" Elsa said.

* * *

 **A/N: So know you know how the killing happened. But was Fredrick Hawthorne truly guilty? There will be at least two more chapters to this story, which will wrap up this unpleasant experience.**


	7. Murder in Her Blood

Chapter 7:

Murder in Her Blood

* * *

In the month's following Fredrick's murder, the rest of Arendelle seemed to have moved on as if there never was a rapist in the kingdom. There were no more reports of women being raped, leading some to believe that Fredrick Hawthorne truly was the rapist. On the other hand, there were others who still weren't convinced of Fredrick's guilt. Some believed that Fredrick was innocent and had been the target of Queen Elsa in a desperate act to display her power. Since she had killed Fredrick, Elsa rarely ventured out of the castle. It was like her thirteen years in isolation again, but this time it felt even worse. She still went to meetings, spoke with Anna and Kristoff, but the happiness that ignited in her following the Great Thaw was gone, replaced by a melancholy demeanor. It was as if someone else was in control of her body instead. Anna didn't dare bring up the subject of Fredrick to Elsa. She knew well enough that Elsa was already consumed by guilt as it was.

Truthfully, Elsa was much more than consumed by guilt. It was destroying her. Every hour of every day, she thought about what she had done. She could still see the light leave Fredrick's eyes as she impaled him with an icicle. That image was forever frozen in her brain. Elsa had not told anyone, especially Anna, that she had seriously considered suicide in the aftermath of Fredrick's death. As soothing as it would be to be released from this torment, she knew that she couldn't abandon Anna. Her dear sister had suffered enough, because of her. Yet, the thought still lingered in the back of her mind. Though she rarely went into the village, she heard what some people were saying about her. They were terrified of her; just like she imagined they would be. Elsa would never harm them of course, but after what happened with Fredrick, they'd never believe her. In their minds, a monster shouldn't be ruler of Arendelle. It was an opinion that she shared with them.

* * *

One evening, Elsa summoned Anna to her office. Upon entering, the princess saw for herself just what a wreck had become of her sister. Her office, once a tidy, pristine place, was now cluttered with books, papers, trash, and other items. As she approached Elsa's desk, she saw just how distraught her sister really was. She had a glass of whiskey in hand, taking a big sip from it. Anna calmly sat down in the chair on the other side of her desk. Elsa poured herself another glass of whiskey, drank it, and then spoke.

"Thank you for coming," Elsa said.

"You're welcome. I've been wanting to talk to you for quite some time," Anna said.

Elsa poured another glass of whiskey, taking a sip, while nodding. "Well, I've just needed to sort things out. That's all. It's been a rough couple of months."

Anna wanted to talk to Elsa about forgiving herself for what she had done, but she feared that bringing up the subject might cause her sister to retract. Instead, she just listened to what she had to say.

"Anna, the reason I called you here today is because I have something very important to tell you," Elsa began.

Taking another sip of whiskey, Elsa spoke. "I'm abdicating the throne of Arendelle."

Anna's eyes widened. The news struck her heart like a lightning bolt. What was Elsa thinking? She had to convince her what a terrible decision it was.

"Elsa,"

"Please, let me finish. In light of recent events, I've learned that I am not capable of ruling Arendelle in the ways our father wanted. Therefore, I am stepping down as ruler, and bestowing the title of Queen of Arendelle to you."

"Elsa, I'm not meant to be queen, you are!" Anna objected.

"No, Anna. A monster like me isn't meant to be queen. The people of Arendelle need someone who they can trust, and that certainly isn't me."

"Elsa, what happened with Fredrick was tragic, but remember he was the Arendelle Rapist," Anna pointed out.

"We don't know that, Anna. There was no evidence pinning Fredrick to any of the rapes."

"But the crimes stopped after he died…

"WE DON"T KNOW THAT IT WAS HIM!" Elsa cried, sending shards of ice into the ceiling.

Anna was frightened, but she did her best to remain calm. She knew that she had to talk Elsa out of this crazy idea.

"Elsa, you never told me exactly what happened between the two of you. What did Fredrick say that made you…take his life?"

Elsa poured another glass of whiskey, drinking it faster than the last one. By now, the alcohol was starting to make her head spin. The dizziness had set in, but she still remained regal, and calm.

"You wouldn't understand," Elsa said.

"Don't do that. You've tried that before, and it never works, remember?" Anna said.

"I…lost control," Elsa whispered. I let my desire to capture the criminal overtake my obligations as a human being. You don't know what it's like to take a man's life, Anna. It's like a poison consuming you, but there is no antidote. It's…a nightmare. One that I'll never awaken from."

Anna walked to the other side of the desk, placing a hand on Elsa's shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Elsa screamed. "Don't ever touch me."

"Elsa, I don't care what you've done. You're my sister and I love you."

Elsa's beautiful blue eyes were soaked in tears. It was as if two pools of sadness, stared up at Anna.

"I will always love you, Anna. But I can't be the sister you want me to be. Not after what I've done."

By now, Anna was crying as well. She slowly backed away from Elsa's desk, watching as her beloved sister deteriorate before her eyes. As much as Anna wanted to stay there, and hold Elsa by her side, she could see that there was no way she could convince her. Anna began to walk out of the room, taking one last look at Elsa before she left.

"The kingdom is yours now, Anna. You are the Queen of Arendelle. I know you'll make me proud."

Anna couldn't bear to reply to that statement. Instead, she simply walked out, leaving Elsa alone in her study. With time she believed that she would come to her senses.

After she left, Elsa walked over to the mantelpiece, where a small chest was kept. Inside, was her father's pistol. She sat back down in her chair, examining the pistol. It was still loaded with six bullets. All she needed was one.

Above the mantelpiece, was a portrait of her father, staring back at her.

Elsa gripped the pistol tight within her hand, feeling its cold grip.

"I'm sorry, papa. I'm sorry I couldn't be the good girl that you wanted me to be."

As Elsa cocked the hammer on the pistol, she glanced at a picture on her desk. It was a picture that Anna drew for her a long time ago. It was the two of them, playing together in the snow, back in the good ol days. The days that she thought had come back, only to be taken away again, thanks to her. From outside the window of her study, Elsa could see the ice palace that she had created a few years back. She still couldn't believe that she was creating something so beautiful. For years she believed that her powers only caused people harm, but when she built her palace, she realized the great beauty that Grand Pabbie spoke of many years ago. But the bad outweighed the good. She had taken a man's life; she had become what she had always feared. There was no place in the world for her.

As she stared out the window at her ice palace, she gripped the pistol tight in her hand, slowly encasing it in a coat of ice.

"I just wanted to be a good ruler," she whispered.

* * *

 **A/N: Whoa, what a cliffhanger. Is Elsa going to do it or not? What will the final chapter entail? I promise that it will be up soon. It won't be as long of a wait this time. My birthday is this Sunday, so I'll have it posted by then.**


	8. Revelations

Chapter 8:

Revelations

 **A/N: I am so sorry that I didn't publish this chapter sooner. Certain events prevented me from taking the time to sit down and write it. Without further ado, here is the final chapter.**

* * *

As Elsa stared out the window at her ice palace at the distance, she almost didn't hear a knock on her door.

"Queen Elsa, there is someone here to see you," Kai called out.

Elsa sighed. "I told you that I don't want to see anyone right now. Tell whoever it is to go away."

"But Queen Elsa, this is Mrs. Hawthorne. She desperately wants to speak with you."

Elsa's eyes widened. No. There was no way she could face the wife of the man she killed. It was impossible. She couldn't bear it.

"Tell her I'm not available," Elsa said.

"But she insists on seeing you, Elsa, she says she has something important to tell you."

Yes. She wants to remind Elsa of how she ruined her family's life. Elsa could already picture the look on Mrs. Hawthorne's face as she screamed at her for killing her husband. No. She simply wasn't going to let it happen. Besides, in a little while, Mrs. Hawthorne wouldn't have to worry about her being queen any longer.

"Kai, please tell her to go away!" Elsa called out.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, you must hear what she has to say. Please…it's very important that you hear this."

Elsa sighed. She didn't feel like arguing with the man any longer. She gave word for Kai to send Mrs. Hawthorne into her office. As Elsa waited for her to arrive, she set out a small table with two chairs, along with two glasses, and a bottle of whiskey.

When Mrs. Hawthorne entered, Elsa was surprised to see that instead of looking like a woman full of rage, she was very sad. Still, she managed to greet Elsa with a sense of respect that surprised the queen.

"Good evening, Your Majesty. I'm sorry to come at such a late hour, but I felt that I had to speak with you at once.

Elsa tried to maintain her regal composure, but it was difficult, while standing in front of the wife of the man she killed.

"Of course. Please, have a seat," Elsa said.

Mrs. Hawthorne took a seat opposite of Elsa. The queen poured herself and Mrs. Hawthorne at glass of whiskey, the latter of which declined to drink it.

"I came to you today, because I had information regarding my husband, Fredrick."

Elsa downed her glass faster. She was ready for the painful blow, but she still wanted to numb the pain.

"Queen Elsa, I know that you must feel terrible for what you've done, and I don't blame you. I can't imagine how it must feel to take another person's life. You probably think I hold some kind of grudge against you for what you've done, but I don't."

Elsa put down her glass. There was no way she was hearing this correctly.

"I don't blame you for what you did. Fredrick was my husband, but he was also something else. He was a dangerous man, who preyed on women."

"Mrs. Hawthorne…

"Please…call me Isabelle."

"Isabelle, there was no evidence that your husband raped any of those women. I let my anger and frustration on failing to catch the rapist. In my opinion, I believe he was innocent."

Tears fell from Isabelle's eyes, but they weren't tears of sadness for the loss of her husband. They were something else.

"No. He wasn't innocent."

Isabelle reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small leather back book.

"This is Fredrick's journal. He wrote it in every day. I never read it until after he died, but when I did, I found what I feared to be true."

"What's that?" Elsa asked.

Isabelle began to cry again. "It's best if you read it for yourself," she sobbed.

Elsa took the book in her hands, flipping through the pages until she saw that one of them had been bookmarked. The passage was dated the day of one of the rapes. In the entry, there was a detailed account of Fredrick's raping of the woman. The final sentence in the entry read "The pleasures had I had while inside of her were unbelievably rich."

Elsa put down the journal, unable to grasp the reality of what she had just read. Isabelle could tell that she was shocked.

"There are other entries just like it," she said. "Each more horrible than the last. I thought I knew my husband, but now I see that I was very, very wrong."

Elsa still couldn't speak.

"There's something else as well. One night, about an hour after I had gone to sleep, Fredrick came home late. I woke up to see what had kept him out so late, and I noticed that he had an unusual looking piece of cloth in his hands. It wasn't until later that I discovered that it wasn't cloth at all, but a piece of a woman's dress."

Isabelle took out the piece of the woman's dress from her pocket, handing it to Elsa. Elsa instantly recognized it. She had interviewed the woman who was wearing the dress the night she was raped.

"I know that you feel terrible for killing Fredrick, but there is no mistaking that he was the Arendelle Rapist."

"But…he was your husband," Elsa stammered.

"And I loved him. But he was a monster," Isabelle said, firmly. "What he did to those women was unforgivable. He deserved to be punished."

Isabelle stood up, saying her goodbyes.

"I don't hold anything against you, Queen Elsa. You're a good woman, and a fine ruler. I know that you only did what you thought was right. Thanks to you, the women of Arendelle can finally feel safe."

Isabelle left the room, leaving Elsa alone with her thoughts. After the discovery of new evidence, there was no denying that Fredrick Hawthorne was the rapist, so in a sense she should be relieved that he was off the streets. She shouldn't be upset anymore over having killed him. Nevertheless, she still felt bad. Ever since she was little, she was always told that it was wrong to take a life, except in the cases of self-defense or if the law had sentenced someone to death. However, she was the law as she is the ruler of Arendelle, so her execution of Fredrick could be seen as her enforcing the law. The crime of rape was a capital offense in the country, one that would certainly warrant an execution. But even though Fredrick was guilty, Elsa couldn't help but feel sorry for the man she killed. If she hadn't lost her temper, she might have been able to find out what drove this man to commit such unspeakable crimes.

With this new evidence, the people of Arendelle who feared her would realize that killing Fredrick Hawthorne was justified. In truth, Elsa felt only somewhat relieved. She didn't think she would ever get over the fact that she killed a man, even if that man was a rapist. The Duke of Weslton's words of her being a monster still pounded in her brain. And she believed that probably always would. But that didn't mean that she had to let them dominate her life.

Looking out the window at her ice palace, Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. Tomorrow was a new day.

* * *

 **A/N: And we reach the end of our story (Though I am considering writing an epilogue). Thank you for taking the time to read and review. I appreciate it. My next full-length Frozen story should be coming up sometime soon.**

 **PS: I took inspiration for the journal from an actual murder that happened in England in the late 19th century. The killer was convicted because he wrote about it in his diary.**


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